This paper introduces the principle and structure of the ETUS system for acute myocardial infarction. This system is an assistant treatment tool with ultrasound waves acting from the external on the heart, speeding thrombolytic drug's permeation into the thrombi for a good curative effect.
Equipment Design ; Myocardial Infarction ; drug therapy ; therapy ; Thrombolytic Therapy ; methods ; Ultrasonic Therapy ; instrumentation

High-intensity focused ultrasound therapy is a novel, emerging, therapeutic modality that uses ultrasound waves, propagated through tissue media, as carriers of energy. This completely non-invasive technology has great potential for tumor ablation as well as hemostasis, thrombolysis and targeted drug/gene delivery. However, the application of this technology still has many drawbacks. It is expected that current obstacles to implementation will be resolved in the near future. In this review, we provide an overview of high-intensity focused ultrasound therapy from the basic physics to recent clinical studies with an interventional radiologist's perspective for the purpose of improving the general understanding of this cutting-edge technology as well as speculating on future developments.
Drug Delivery Systems ; Gene Targeting ; Hemostatic Techniques ; Humans ; Thrombolytic Therapy/methods ; *Ultrasonic Therapy/methods

OBJECTIVETo review the presentation, diagnosis and recent developments in the pharmacological and invasive treatment of ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) with a special focus on health-care organization in order to increase accessibility of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

DATA SOURCESData were obtained from English publications on STEMI treatment. No formal systematic review was conducted, but an effort was made to be comprehensive.

STUDY SELECTIONStudies were selected if they contained data relevant to the topic. Preferably, data from clinical randomized trials, meta-analyses, guidelines and a few recent reviews are referenced.

RESULTSThe described clinical approach to acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has been a continuum of scientific results and translation into clinical practice over the last four decades since the advent of thrombolytic reperfusion. This has resulted in a dramatic in-hospital mortality decrease from 30% in the 1960s to the present 5%. The biggest survival benefits have undoubtedly been achieved after the advent of reperfusion strategies. In contemporary treatment of STEMI, additional treatment effects on survival have to be sought in the very early admission phase, as the current mortality hazard drops significantly after the first critical days to continuously very low levels after discharge.

CONCLUSIONSOptimal treatment of STEMI patients is best performed with a widely accessible reperfusion strategy, preferably primary PCI, with contemporary peri-procedural anti-thrombotic treatment and device implantation. Accessibility of reperfusion strategies is increased by efficient STEMI networks applying prehospital triage with digital tele-transmission of electrocardiograms (ECGs) and seamless patient transitions between health-care unities. Efficient treatments of complicated STEMI with out-of hospital cardiac arrest and/or cardiogenic shock underline the necessity of structured referral systems, preferably immediately after the initial STEMI diagnosis.

Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary ; methods ; Drug-Eluting Stents ; Humans ; Myocardial Infarction ; drug therapy ; surgery ; Thrombolytic Therapy ; methods

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate treatment outcomes in patients with symptomatic deep vein thrombosis (DVT) who had undergone a catheter-directed thrombolysis with conventional aspiration thrombectomy for the treatment of lower extremity deep vein thrombosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The authors retrospectively reviewed the records of 74 patients (mean age 61 +/- 15) that underwent a catheter-directed thrombolysis with conventional aspiration thrombectomy. A retrieval inferior vena cava (IVC) filter was placed to protect against a pulmonary embolism in 60 patients (81%). Stenting and balloon angioplasty were performed in 37 patients (50%) under the left common iliac vein compression. RESULTS: Sixty-seven patients (91%) showed a clinical improvement within 48 hours, but seven patients (9%) showed no improvement. Multi detector computerized tomographic venography (MDCT venography) at discharge showed no thrombus in 15 patients (20%) and partial thrombus in 52 (70%). Twenty-eight patients (38%) developed post-thrombotic syndrome at 3.0 +/- 4.2 months postoperatively. Six patients (8%) were admitted due to DVT recurrence at a mean of 5.6 +/- 7.4 months postoperatively. Sixty-nine patients underwent follow up MDCT venography at 5.7 +/- 5.6 months. fifty (72%) of these showed no thrombus, 15 (22%) partial thrombus, and 4 (6%) showed obstruction. Twentyeight of 61 (46%) were asymptomatic, twentyeight (46%) had moderate improvement, and four (6%) were mildly improved by a telephone interview (81%) at 22.8 +/- 10.7 months postoperatively. CONCLUSION: Catheter-directed thrombolysis with conventional aspiration thrombectomy is an effective treatment for lower extremity deep vein thrombosis and produces satisfactory clinical results.
Aged ; *Catheterization ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Thrombectomy/*methods ; Thrombolytic Therapy/*methods ; Venous Thrombosis/*therapy

Cardiac Catheterization ; Heart Arrest ; therapy ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pulmonary Embolism ; complications ; therapy ; Thrombolytic Therapy ; methods

Female ; Heart Arrest ; drug therapy ; etiology ; Humans ; Pulmonary Embolism ; complications ; Thrombolytic Therapy ; methods ; Young Adult

The thrombolytic therapy has been widely used in treating acute cerebral infarction (ACI), but various severe complications restrict its clinical application. However, Chinese medicine shows its advantages in the treatment of ACI after thrombolytic therapy. Qi benefiting and blood activating method is an important principle and mean for supporting the vital qi and removing the surplus evil. By using this method, its short-term and long-term efficacy could be improved after thrombolytic therapy.
Cerebral Infarction ; drug therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; methods ; Thrombolytic Therapy

The prediction of successful recanalization following thrombolytic or endovascular treatment may be helpful to determine the strategy of recanalization treatment in acute stroke. Thrombus can be detected using noncontrast computed tomography (CT) as a hyperdense artery sign or blooming artifact on a T2*-weighted gradient-recalled image. The detection of thrombus using CT depends on slice thickness. Thrombus burden can be determined in terms of the length, volume, and clot burden score. The thrombus size can be quantitatively measured on thin-section CT or CT angiography/magnetic resonance angiography. The determination of thrombus size may be predictive of successful recanalization/non-recanalization after intravenous thrombolysis and endovascular treatment. However, cut-offs of thrombus size for predicting recanalization/non-recanalization are different among studies, due to different methods of measurements. Thus, a standardized method to measure the thrombus is necessary for thrombus imaging to be useful and reliable in clinical practice. Software-based measurements may provide a reliable and accurate assessment. The measurement should be easy and rapid to be more widely used in practice, which could be achieved by improvement of the user interface. In addition to prediction of recanalization, sequential measurements of thrombus volume before and after the treatment may also be useful to determine the efficacy of new thrombolytic drugs. This manuscript reviews the diagnosis of thrombus, prediction of recanalization using thrombus imaging, and practical considerations for the measurement of thrombus burden and density on CT.
Angiography ; Arteries ; Artifacts ; Diagnosis ; Endovascular Procedures ; Fibrinolytic Agents ; Methods ; Reperfusion* ; Stroke* ; Thrombolytic Therapy ; Thrombosis*

OBJECTIVETo retrospectively analyze the safety and efficacy of mechanical thrombectomy combined with pharmacologic thrombolysis to treat non-acute and symptomatic portal vein thrombosis (PVT) using an intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (IPS) assisted by percutaneous transhepatic approach.

METHODSFrom April 2006 to May 2012, 18 patients with non-acute and symptomatic PVT were treated with balloon dilation, sheath-directed thrombus aspiration and continuous infusion of urokinase using the IPS assisted by percutaneous transhepatic approach. The significance of differences in the portosystemic gradient measured before and after therapy was assessed by paired samples t-test, and survival analysis was made by the Kaplan-Meier method.

RESULTSIPS was successfully created in all patients. The mean duration of the thrombolytic therapy was 65.3 +/- 29.5 h, and the mean concentration of urokinase used for the thrombolysis was 2324000 +/- 945000 U. Comparison of the mean portosystemic gradients showed a significant improvement in response to the therapy (before: 33.8 +/- 4.9 mm Hg vs. after: 15.4 +/- 2.1 mm Hg; P less than 0.001). The overall rate of clinical improvement was 94.4%. One patient died on day 2 post-therapy and another two patients experienced mild hepatic encephalopathy or right hemothorax, respectively, on day 5 post-therapy, with conservative medical management achieving complete recovery for both. The mean follow-up time was 18.6 +/- 17.5 months, during which only one patient died and five others experienced shunt dysfunction; all remaining patients showed maintenance of shunt patency without symptoms of recurrence.

CONCLUSIONMechanical thrombectomy combined with pharmacologic thrombolysis via the IPS assisted by percutaneous transhepatic approach is a safe and effective therapeutic option for patients with non-acute and symptomatic PVT.

Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Portal Vein ; Portasystemic Shunt, Surgical ; methods ; Retrospective Studies ; Thrombolytic Therapy ; Venous Thrombosis ; therapy

Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Renal Artery ; drug effects ; Renal Artery Obstruction ; drug therapy ; Retrospective Studies ; Thrombolytic Therapy ; methods